Without American Idol in the Tuesday mix, CBS owns Tuesday in the overnights and will do so until at least the end of traditional TV season in May. Fox finished a distant second, but will compete among adults 18-49 thanks to what I personally think is one of the most overrated shows in primetime, Glee. Third overall NBC, followed by ABC and The CW.

Blockbuster NCIS, probably the most underrated show currently on the air, opened with a considerable 12.7 rating/20 share at 8 p.m. Next was spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles (#1: 11.6/18 at 9 p.m.), which fits like a glove, followed by older-skewing The Good Wife at a dominant 8.8/15 at 10 p.m. While The Good Wife is also expected to also win among adults 18-49, its time period lead will be far less significant than what you see in the overnights.

Fox’s Glee finished a comfortable second at 8 p.m., with a 7.8/12. And, yes, it will clearly lead the time period among adults 18-49. But critical favorite Raising Hope at 9 p.m. continues to squander the lead-in support, with a third-place 4.2/ 6. Comparably, that held only 54 percent of the 8:30 p.m. portion of Glee (7.8/12). And week three of Traffic Light at 9:30 p.m. followed with a fourth-place 2.8/ 4 at 9:30 p.m. -- 33 percent below Raising Hope. Three-week metered market track for Traffic Light: 3.4/ 5 -- 2.6/ 4 -- 2.8/ 4.

Over at NBC, just renewed The Biggest Loser, which is not having one of its better seasons ratings-wise, scored a 5.1/ 8 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows:

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

8:00 p.m.: 4.6/ 7 (#3)

8:30 p.m.: 4.7/ 7 (#3)

9:00 p.m.: 5.4/ 8 (#2)

9:30 p.m.: 5.7/ 9 (#2)

As always, the strength of The Biggest Loser falls within the young adult demos.

At 10 p.m., Parenthood on NBC finished second with a 3.8/ 6 in the overnights -- 33 percent below the 9:30 p.m. portion of The Biggest Loser. Parenthood is one of the many current series on NBC that the network will need to make a decision on for next season.

Minus the support of Dancing with the Stars at 9 p.m. (which returns in the Tuesday 9 p.m. hour on March 29), ABC continues to flounder on the evening. On-the-fence No Ordinary Family opened the night with a fourth-place 3.4/ 5 in the overnights at 8 p.m., followed by sophomore V (#4: 3.4/ 5 at 9 p.m.), which should never have received a second season, and a Tuesday 10 p.m. edition of Primetime: What Would You Do? (#3: 2.6/ 4).

In the distant No. 5 spot, as usual, was The CW’s combination of One Tree Hill (1.4/ 2) and freshman Hellcats (1.1/ 2), which does fit relatively well out of the veteran serial and is expected back next season.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

Ratings Box:

What’s Hot/What’s Not

-Soft Finale for $#*! My Dad Says on CBS:

On paper, 9.70 million viewers and a 2.6 rating/8 share among adults 18-49 looks positive for the season (or series) finale of freshman CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says on Thursday, February 17. But retention out of lead-in The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: 12.41 million; A18-49: 3.7/11 at 8 p.m.) was lacking at 78 percent in total viewers and 70 percent in the demo, which is about how it fared all season. CBS can do better here, but there is no reason to think new occupant Rules of Engagement will ignite the time period.

-Speaking of Primetime:

The final live plus same day ratings for the week of February 14 are delayed until later today due to President’s Day on Monday. But to whet your appetite, here are the results by network through Friday, February 18.

Nine overweight couples attempt to lose unwanted weight while competing for a dream wedding in this new reality competition series. Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect) hosts.

-The Reality:

Sadly, Shedding for the Wedding is the only new midseason series on tap at The CW. So, there is not necessarily all that much in the area of development. While the flow out of America’s Next Top Model is compatible, aging Top Model is not the force it once was. And the competition, ABC’s Modern Family and Criminal Minds on CBS, in particular, is fierce. With that in mind, there is no real reason to think Shedding for the Wedding will be able to establish a foothold in this time period.

-Chances of Survival for Shedding for the Wedding (based on 1-1 to 10-1): 8-1

NBC has issued early pick-ups to three non-scripted series for 2011-12: The Biggest Loser, Who Do You Think You Are?, which recently returned on Friday, and holiday competition The Sing Off. But the bigger question, of course, is which of its endless array of clinkers will be issued pink slips. Stay tuned.

-Upcoming on ABC Family:

ABC Family has ordered an additional one-hour scripted drama called The Lying Game, which will follow a kind-hearted foster kid named Emma who discovers she has an identical twin sister named Sutton who was adopted by wealthy parents. After meeting and temporarily switching lives, Emma must decide whether to come clean about her identity when Sutton fails to return to the girls’ designated meeting place. Alexanda Chando (As the World Turns) plays the dual roles. Other new scripted projects already committed to by ABC Family are dramas The Nine Lives of Chloe King and Switched at Birth, and comedy The Great State of Georgia.

-Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Heads to Syfy:

No, it is not going back into original production. But Syfy has acquired the off-network rights to all 31 episodes of former Fox drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The series will launch with back-to-back episodes out of Terminator 3 on Thursday, April 7 from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT.

-Also at Syfy:

The cable net has unveiled the following launch dates for new hi-tech cooking competition Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen, returning Destination Truth, Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, Stargate Universe and Sanctuary, and a number of original movies.

Without American Idol in the Tuesday mix, CBS owns Tuesday in the overnights and will do so until at least the end of traditional TV season in May. Fox finished a distant second, but will compete among adults 18-49 thanks to what I personally think is one of the most overrated shows in primetime, Glee. Third overall NBC, followed by ABC and The CW.

Blockbuster NCIS, probably the most underrated show currently on the air, opened with a considerable 12.7 rating/20 share at 8 p.m. Next was spin-off NCIS: Los Angeles (#1: 11.6/18 at 9 p.m.), which fits like a glove, followed by older-skewing The Good Wife at a dominant 8.8/15 at 10 p.m. While The Good Wife is also expected to also win among adults 18-49, its time period lead will be far less significant than what you see in the overnights.

Fox’s Glee finished a comfortable second at 8 p.m., with a 7.8/12. And, yes, it will clearly lead the time period among adults 18-49. But critical favorite Raising Hope at 9 p.m. continues to squander the lead-in support, with a third-place 4.2/ 6. Comparably, that held only 54 percent of the 8:30 p.m. portion of Glee (7.8/12). And week three of Traffic Light at 9:30 p.m. followed with a fourth-place 2.8/ 4 at 9:30 p.m. -- 33 percent below Raising Hope. Three-week metered market track for Traffic Light: 3.4/ 5 -- 2.6/ 4 -- 2.8/ 4.

Over at NBC, just renewed The Biggest Loser, which is not having one of its better seasons ratings-wise, scored a 5.1/ 8 in the overnights from 8-10 p.m., building by half-hour as follows:

The Biggest Loser (NBC)

8:00 p.m.: 4.6/ 7 (#3)

8:30 p.m.: 4.7/ 7 (#3)

9:00 p.m.: 5.4/ 8 (#2)

9:30 p.m.: 5.7/ 9 (#2)

As always, the strength of The Biggest Loser falls within the young adult demos.

At 10 p.m., Parenthood on NBC finished second with a 3.8/ 6 in the overnights -- 33 percent below the 9:30 p.m. portion of The Biggest Loser. Parenthood is one of the many current series on NBC that the network will need to make a decision on for next season.

Minus the support of Dancing with the Stars at 9 p.m. (which returns in the Tuesday 9 p.m. hour on March 29), ABC continues to flounder on the evening. On-the-fence No Ordinary Family opened the night with a fourth-place 3.4/ 5 in the overnights at 8 p.m., followed by sophomore V (#4: 3.4/ 5 at 9 p.m.), which should never have received a second season, and a Tuesday 10 p.m. edition of Primetime: What Would You Do? (#3: 2.6/ 4).

In the distant No. 5 spot, as usual, was The CW’s combination of One Tree Hill (1.4/ 2) and freshman Hellcats (1.1/ 2), which does fit relatively well out of the veteran serial and is expected back next season.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data (R = repeat)

Ratings Box:

What’s Hot/What’s Not

-Soft Finale for $#*! My Dad Says on CBS:

On paper, 9.70 million viewers and a 2.6 rating/8 share among adults 18-49 looks positive for the season (or series) finale of freshman CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says on Thursday, February 17. But retention out of lead-in The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: 12.41 million; A18-49: 3.7/11 at 8 p.m.) was lacking at 78 percent in total viewers and 70 percent in the demo, which is about how it fared all season. CBS can do better here, but there is no reason to think new occupant Rules of Engagement will ignite the time period.

-Speaking of Primetime:

The final live plus same day ratings for the week of February 14 are delayed until later today due to President’s Day on Monday. But to whet your appetite, here are the results by network through Friday, February 18.

Nine overweight couples attempt to lose unwanted weight while competing for a dream wedding in this new reality competition series. Sara Rue (Less Than Perfect) hosts.

-The Reality:

Sadly, Shedding for the Wedding is the only new midseason series on tap at The CW. So, there is not necessarily all that much in the area of development. While the flow out of America’s Next Top Model is compatible, aging Top Model is not the force it once was. And the competition, ABC’s Modern Family and Criminal Minds on CBS, in particular, is fierce. With that in mind, there is no real reason to think Shedding for the Wedding will be able to establish a foothold in this time period.

-Chances of Survival for Shedding for the Wedding (based on 1-1 to 10-1): 8-1

NBC has issued early pick-ups to three non-scripted series for 2011-12: The Biggest Loser, Who Do You Think You Are?, which recently returned on Friday, and holiday competition The Sing Off. But the bigger question, of course, is which of its endless array of clinkers will be issued pink slips. Stay tuned.

-Upcoming on ABC Family:

ABC Family has ordered an additional one-hour scripted drama called The Lying Game, which will follow a kind-hearted foster kid named Emma who discovers she has an identical twin sister named Sutton who was adopted by wealthy parents. After meeting and temporarily switching lives, Emma must decide whether to come clean about her identity when Sutton fails to return to the girls’ designated meeting place. Alexanda Chando (As the World Turns) plays the dual roles. Other new scripted projects already committed to by ABC Family are dramas The Nine Lives of Chloe King and Switched at Birth, and comedy The Great State of Georgia.

-Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles Heads to Syfy:

No, it is not going back into original production. But Syfy has acquired the off-network rights to all 31 episodes of former Fox drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The series will launch with back-to-back episodes out of Terminator 3 on Thursday, April 7 from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT.

-Also at Syfy:

The cable net has unveiled the following launch dates for new hi-tech cooking competition Marcel’s Quantum Kitchen, returning Destination Truth, Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files, Stargate Universe and Sanctuary, and a number of original movies.